Viable Distributes VPAD+ to Federal Employees

The Department of Defense’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) has approved the VPAD+ for distribution, at no cost, to deaf and hard of hearing Federal employees. The VPAD+ is a lightweight, standalone VOIP videophone with a 10.2″ touchscreen monitor, WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities and enables sign language users to place phone calls by videoconferencing with interpreters specially trained to relay phone conversations.

Viable, a deaf-owned and deaf-operated provider of video relay services (VRS), developed the VPAD+ so deaf and hard of hearing people could access the telephone system with forward-looking technology. The VPAD+ is interoperable with 10-digit telephone numbers and has USB ports for Bluetooth-enabled headsets, providing hard of hearing people with amplification options.

CAP was established in 1990 by the Federal Government to provide assistive equipment such as teletypewriters (TTYs) and light signalers to Federal employees who are deaf or hard of hearing so they can enjoy equal access to inter-office information and communication. CAP also provides accommodations to Federal employees with disabilities and to wounded military personnel. In 2006 CAP reported partnerships with 65 Federal agencies and in 2007 CAP distributed 8,775 products.

Ward Pettis, who obtained his VPAD+ through CAP and works for the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, MD, said, “I am thrilled with my VPAD+, it has been a great asset for my workplace. Now I can place and accept calls from hearing people via VRS on my videophone. Finally, Federal employees have a standalone videoconferencing solution without a hook-up to a TV set or using a webcam.”

“This is a breakthrough for Federal employees who have endured TTY technology for too long,” said Shane Feldman, who manages government relations for Viable. “The VPAD+ is one of the first videophone products offered by the CAP to feature built-in WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities and offers customized advantages

that will improve communication with coworkers and boost workplace productivity.”

“The VPAD+ has the ability to traverse firewalls once the appropriate ports are opened and rules put in place,” said Feldman. “During a recent Department of Commerce conference on videophone technology, it took Viable’s sales engineer only 15 minutes of working with the Department of Commerce’s IT department to create a stable connection for the VPAD+.”

Federal employees interested in the VPAD+ can apply online at CAP’s website (http://www.tricare.mil/cap/accom_process/request.cfm?type=request). Federal employees whose agencies are not a CAP partner can email government@viable.net to purchase a VPAD+.

Federal employees and IT technicians may contact government@viable.net with questions ranging from NAT traversal to security. Specifications, video clips, and further information on the VPAD+ can be found at http://www.viable.net/product/vpad .

About Viable, Inc.
Viable develops videophones and provides next-generation video relay services for deaf and hard of hearing persons, opening them to a world of communication possibilities. Founded in 2006, Viable is a private, deaf-owned company, and many employees are deaf and hard of hearing and are personally vested in the innovation and development of the company’s products and services. Visit www.viable.net for further information.

About Telecommunications Relay Services

Mandated by Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, telecommunications relay services (TRS) enables individuals with hearing or speech disabilities to achieve functional equivalence by accessing telephone systems to place or receive calls through an intermediary known as a relay operator or relay interpreter. Emergent IP technology has given rise to video-based solutions, which are known as video relay services (VRS). VRS options include using a webcam or a videophone to connect to a video relay interpreter, and allow deaf and hard of hearing callers for whom sign language is native to fully achieve the ideal of functional equivalence.